Today (June 16), marks the day one of Hip-Hop culture’s most renowned artists, Tupac Amaru Shakur was born. He would have turned 47 years old. The magnetism of Shakur’s craft has regulated to withstand the test of time as he remains to be one of the culture’s most prominent rappers, even 22 years after his death.
The works of Tupac were an avid display of expression in ties with the Black man who is stationed inside of North America. He was mentally sound with a viewpoint that was fixed in the helm of the Black Power Movement in the fashion of a modern ’90s reality. It was not hard to distinguish. He was the next level, ideal, young Black ghetto poet who unapologetically loosened up his tongue about the political and social ills of his own.
Most evident in his earliest works 2Pacalypse Now and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z…, Shakur managed to deal equally with being the young Black revolutionary who was forced to embark into the gangsta lifestyle. He owned a flow that was bombarded with bouncing metaphors and similes with a cadence that became deemed as being signature and blueprint for several aspiring west coast rappers and beyond.
While hardcore rapping was at its prime in the ’90s, the burgeoning Hip-Hop icon was blatantly not phased with the trend. Once Tupac dropped his third studio album, Me Against the World, it was confirmed his craft was a direct reflection of a reality he not only witnessed but experienced. Amid facing a series of charges, which include ranges of assault, the gem was released giving birth to “Dear Mama,” a timeless tribute to his mother Afeni Shakur.
It was eventually time for the west coast notable to showcase his classic “thug life” side, which perhaps was the key to his grand acclaimed throughout American music culture. All Eyez on Me is Shakur’s fourth studio album and first with Death Row Records. The gem is a blatant homage drop to the persona he embodied that drew the masses his way. With hits “California Love (Remix),” “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” and “How Do U Want It,” the notable emcee drew up an expression that was celebratory towards his profound freedom which signaled strength and disregard for the ills that lead to such a successful creation.
Just seven months after the release of All Eyez on Me, Tupac Shakur was shot four times in Las Vegas on September 7th, 1996. He died six days later, September 13th, 1996, from injuries. Tupac was known for his groovy poetic style and ability to paint an unblurred picture, through his lyrics. He had an effective way with words that lead to the gateways of hearts. His poetic stance, political awareness, and abundant charisma was the key to his magnitude on the hip-hop masses.
Happy Birthday to Hip-Hop’s most influential artist of all time, Tupac Shakur!